1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to marine hitch devices for hitching a boat to a dock, and more particularly, to a marine dock hitch which provides a quick and convenient manner of hitching a boat to a dock. The marine dock hitch is capable of maintaining a secure connection between a boat and a dock throughout rising and falling tides in a water body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, boating has become an increasingly popular pastime in the United States. Millions of people each year use watercraft of various size and description to water ski, fish and cruise on a lake or other water body. Popular watercraft vary in size from the smaller jet skis and “waverunners” to larger ski boats and fishing boats, such as bay boats, which are designed for deep-sea fishing.
Other common pastimes which are frequently associated with boating include camping, hiking and picknicking. Many people enjoy spending the morning cruising, fishing or skiing on a lake or other water body in a watercraft, after which they dock the craft at a docking facility and have a picnic or go hiking on land, for example. Frequently, after a day of boating, the craft is docked overnight at a public or private docking facility.
Various techniques have been used to attach a boat to a lakeside or seaside dock. These techniques include relatively simple approaches, such as tying the boat to the dock and hanging tires over the edge of the boat to cushion and prevent damage to the boat. More sophisticated approaches include the use of a rope or ropes in conjunction with specially-designed plastic, rubber or inflatable bumpers to cushion the boat. In either method, one end of a rope is typically tied to or looped around a rail or other structure on the boat. One or both ends of the rope are tied to a structure on the dock.
The aforementioned approaches to docking a boat are attended by numerous disadvantages. First, suitable structures on the boat and dock must be identified prior to attaching the boat to the dock. In some cases, the boat may not include a suitable structure for secure attachment to the dock using ropes. Second, the rope or ropes which attach the boat to the dock need only be untied for thieves to steal the boat. Third, the wave action of the water body on which the boat floats may raise and lower the boat considerably. Consequently, the ropes may exert a considerable strain on the rails or other structure in the boat to which the ropes are tied.
There is therefore an established need for a marine dock hitch which provides a quick and convenient mechanism for removably attaching a boat to a docking facility; provides a mechanism for locking the boat to the docking facility to prevent theft of the boat; and accommodates considerable changes in the tides or wave action of a water body on which the boat floats.